This study of the weekly parsha is dedicated
in the loving memory of Mr. Samuel and Mrs. Miriam Goodman, may
they rest in peace.

To begin our discussion on conduct, we must
actually digress first to explain the term Jewish Law and a few
misunderstandings surrounding it. Jewish Law, meaning the Torah,
is a subject that for hundreds of years has been so misunderstood!
Jewish law has been the object of much abuse and assault especially
by unlearned Christians / Messianics who commonly state, 'We
live under grace! We don't live under the law.'

In last week's parsha we stated that in the
third month Kal Yisroel camped east of Har Sinai. It was there
that the Torah, the Law, was given to the Jewish nation. In the
same parsha, Yisro offers advice to his son - in - law, Moshe
Rebbeinu.

"When Moshe's father-in-law saw all that
Moshe had done for the people, he said, 'What is this you are
doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself and {letting}
the people stand around you from morning until evening?'"

"Moshe said to his father-in-law, 'Because
the people come to me to seek {instructions from} G-d. Whenever
they have a problem, they come to me, and I judge between man
and his neighbor. I impart to them G-d's statutes and His laws.'"

"Moshe's father-in-law said to him, 'What
you are doing is not good. You are going to wear yourself out,
you too and this people that is with you. This {activity} is
too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone. Now listen to my voice,
I will give you advice and G-d be with you. You must be G-d's
representative for the people, and bring the{ir} problems to
G-d. You shall enlighten them as to the statutes and laws and
impart to them the path in which they must walk, and the deeds
they must do. You must seek out from among all the people capable,
G-d-fearing men, men of truth, who hate gain. You must then appoint
them over {the people} as officers of thousands, officers of
hundreds, and officers of fifties and officers of tens. Let them
judge the people at all times. Every major problem they will
bring to you, and every minor problem they shall judge by themselves.'"
Exodus

Now let's consider what is going on here...

Over three million people, a nation, the Jewish
Nation, have departed Mitzriam. They have departed the strict,
harsh legal structure of Mitzriam. They are on their own as a
people, as a Jewish Nation without an established legal system.
Moshe is the recognized leader of Kal Yisroel. The people placed
their trust in his advice... The nation has placed their trust
in his honest judgment. He was very busy as the only respected
leader and judge.

Moshe's father-in-law saw the problem and
recommended a solution. Now that Yisro's advice has been accepted
and officers have been appointed, the Jewish Nation is truly
ready to receive the Torah, the law.

After the Torah was given, after Kal Yisroel
received all 613 mitzvahs, the mitzvahs {meaning commands} had
to be taught. The law had to be studied. The law had to be learned.
The law had to be judged by the appointed officers!

The point is Kal Yisroel was a newly formed
nation. As a newly formed nation we needed a legal structure.
We needed officers! We needed laws to follow. We needed laws
to replace what we left behind in Mitzriam.

Last week we began receiving the law that
would govern our lives. We will spend the rest of this year studying,
learning and following the law we received, G-d willing. Now,
can you tell me of a nation, of a state, of a county or of a
city that ONLY HAS 613 LAWS governing their entire existence?
Over 3,500 years, several thousand rabbinical laws have been
added to the original 613 laws. Many of the rabbinical laws were
just for certain communities. Many have expired. They are no
longer followed. Yet when one even considers three thousand laws
to govern an entire nation with districts and cities that is
not many laws.

When our Moshiach comes Hashem will give every
Jew a special revelation, a special understanding of the 613
mitzvahs, of the Torah given at Har Sinai. We will understand
these laws. Everyone will understand these laws. We will understand
every aspect of these laws. Everyone will follow these laws in
peace.

It is these laws that govern our very existence
{today and when Moshiach comes} that have been challenged for
hundreds of years by Christians / Messianics.

One should understand that the Hebrew word
"TORAH" is translated into the English word as "LAW".
So a statement like, 'We don't live under the law' is actually
saying 'We don't live under the authority of the Torah.' Immediately
this presents a conflict for Christians / Messianics who in the
same breath say that the New Testament is founded upon the Old
Testament. The problem rests in the fact that present law is
based upon previous law. So if we say, 'I live under grace and
not under the law,' then what we have just done is to verbally
eliminate thousands of years of law, thousands of years of legal
foundations that modern day law is built upon.

Torah {Law} is more compassionate than any
law, than any legal system in the world today. There are many
examples in this week's parsha.

Where does one find the word PRISON - JAIL
- INCARCERATION in the 613 commands? If a person is caught stealing
we do not remove limbs. Torah requires reimbursement. The thief
is required to fairly reimburse the victim. If the thief cannot
reimburse the victim the Bais Din {Jewish court} can sell him
as a slave, as a servant to reimburse the victim.

If the Bais Din sells a thief into slavery
it can only be to another Jew. The Jew making the purchase becomes
responsible to properly clothe, feed and care for his newly acquired
Jewish servant. The maximum length a Jewish servant must serve
is six years, depending upon the year of jubilation.

If the thief has a wife and children, then
the Jew making the purchase becomes responsible to properly clothe,
feed and care for the thief's wife and children in addition to
his newly acquired Jewish servant.

A man may sell himself into slavery because
he has become destitute. A father may sell his young daughter{before
the age of twelve} into slavery.

In both cases the man or his daughter would
receive better care by the slave owner than they could provide
for themselves. In each case they could be redeemed by a relative,
et al.

The Jewish slave owner is required to treat
his Jewish servant with the utmost respect.

When the young girl enters puberty she is
immediately released.

If a servant were to lose an eye or a limb,
G-d forbid, that servant would immediately go free with compensation
for the the loss.

Any Jew, including the Jewish servant, is
entitled to bring his complaint before the Bais Din and receive
fair judgment.

The point to all this is that G-d has established
a system of conduct for all Jews to follow. That system of conduct
was established 3,500 years ago at Har Sinai. Our conduct, our
method of doing business is intended to be the prototype for
the rest of the world. What we do as Jews is intended to enlighten
the world NOT BURDEN IT!!

You do not read in our Torah and you will
not hear our rabbium say, "If your right eye offends you
pluck it out., if your right hand offends you cut it off.."
The Torah teaches against self mutilation. The Torah teaches
against mutilation of animals also. Torah conduct requires that
one respect their body as the house in which G-d's Torah lives!

The Torah, Jewish Law, requires that our conduct
be just and fair. If a poor man gives his garment to us for surety
we are required to give it back to him immediately.

It is this wonderful, loving method of governing
our lives as required by G-d's Torah {G-d's law}, including the
rabbinical law, that Christians / Messianics claim G-d has done
away with yet it is the best system in the world. It is the most
caring system in the world.

Christians / Messianics are waiting "for
that which is perfect to come," we the Jewish people already
have it. David Ha Melech said the TORAH of Hashem is PERFECT!

Those of us who are struggling with turning
over a new leaf, doing shuvah actually are struggling with implementing
the Torah, that which is perfect, in our lives.

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